Connector for band-bracelets.



C. H. PATTEN.

CONNECTOR FOR'BAND BRACELETS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22. 1911.

255,928. V Patented Fb. 12, 1918.

W ATTORNEY ANT FFllQlE.

CHARLES H. PAT'IEN, 0F FROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNQR T0 CHARLES .E. HANCOCK COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

7 '0 all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. PATTEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Connectors for Band-Bracelets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a connecting member for a band or ribbon type of bracelet for a wrist watch or other article, and is an improvement on my co-pending patent application, Serial 160,507; dated April 7, 1917 and the object of my present invention is to provide the simplest form of yieldable connector member which is that of a frame having a slidable bar or member mounted therein around which the bracelet band is passed, to yieldingly resist a tension 011 the band. i

A further object of the invention is to provide suitable means whereby this frame may be connected to the case of a. watch or other article.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view showing a bracelet band with my improved connector member at either end thereof hinged to opposite sides of a watch case.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partly in section illustrating my improved connector member.

Fig. 3-- is a perspective view of the dev1ce.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the slide bar showing the notches therein Which engage the frame.

Fig. 5- is a side elevation of this slide bar showing one portion of each of the telescoping-spring-inclosing tubes.

Fig. 6- is a modification showing the slide bar as engaged by a bow form of spring.

Fig. 7- is a modification showing the frame as rigidly connected to the edge of a. watch casing.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the frame member which is preferably constructed in a U-shape. being blanked out of sheet stock and provided with notches ll Specification of Letters Patent.

CONNECTOR FOR BAND-BRACELETS.

Patented Feb. 12, 191%.

Application filedJ'une 22, 1917. Serial No. 176,437.

on its inner edges near its joint ends, but this frame may be formed of any other suitable material.

The slidable bar member 12 is preferably constructed of flat stock, as illustrated in Fig. 4:, the same being notched as at 13 at its opposite ends, to slide on the side arms of the U-shape frame.

To the under side of this bar are connected two short tubular members 14 and to the upper edge of the bridge 15 of the frame is connected two upwardly extending tubular members 16, a little smaller in diameter than the members 14, to telescope therein.

In these telescoping tubes and interposed between the slide bar 12 and the bridge member 13, I have inserted two coil springs 17 which are adapted to yield when a tension is applied to the bracelet band 18, whose ends 19 are looped around the bar as illustrated in Fig. 1.

This frame may be connected in any suitable way to the casing of a watch or other device, but in this particular instance it is found of advantage to connect the frame to the watch casing by a hinge joint, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, in which case, an eye member. 20 is formed on opposite sides of the watch case and two inwardly extending corresponding eye members 21 are formed on the opposite arms of the frame so that it is only necessary to pass a pintle 22 through both the eye 20 and the eyes 21 to form a yielding or hinge joint therefor.

When this frame is constructed with these eye members thereon, it is found advisable to form the notches 11 in the upper edge thereof, so that the sliding cross bar may be passed onto the frame, and in order to prevent this bar from subsequently becoming disengaged from the frame, I have bent its ends 23 downward as illustrated in Fig. .2 as a simple means to effect this result.

Fig. 6 shows a bow form of spring 24 which may be employed instead of the coil springs illustrated in Fig. 2.

The device is extremely simple in construction and effective in its operation and by its use a non-yielding band such as ribhon or the like, may be employed for attaching a watch to the wrist and which when being passed over the yieldable bar in my connector, provides sufiicient yieldability in such a band to render it comfortable to the wearer.

I do not wish to be restricted to loosely attaching this frame to the watch casing by means of hinges, hooks or the like as this frame may be permanently fixed by solder or otherwise to the casing as illustrated in Fig. 7, in which the outer bridge bar is shown as being eliminated and the ends of the side members 26 of the frame are turned back for the purpose of supporting the outer ends of the springs.

The foregoing description is directed solely toward the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims. 7

I claim:

I 1. A connector for band bracelets comprising a U shaped frame the free ends of the side bars of which are provided with means whereby they may be attached to a watch or similar article, a slidable bar having its ends engaging and guided by said side bars, and springs interposed between said slidable bar and thebase of said frame and also between the side bars of the frame.

2; A connector band for bracelets comprising a U shaped frame the free ends of the side bars of which are provided with means whereby they may be attached to a watch or similar article, a slidable bar having its ends engaging and guided by said bars, and springs interposed between said slidable bar and the base of said frame and also between the side bars of the frame.

4.,The combination with a flexible band, of a frame having side bars constructed and arranged to be attached to a watch, a tension bar having its ends slidably engaging and guided by said side bars, said band being looped over said tension bar, and springs interposed between said frame and said teniion bar and positioned to be covered by the In testlmony whereof I afiix my signature.

CHARLEsH PATTEN.

Ccpies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of I'atents Washington, D. G. a 

